Fastest Track Times Thread

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by ja1217

...I know I left some time on the table. The octopus section (the tight right then left loop towards the end of the lap, before the bridge) was giving me trouble all weekend and I ran out of my DS-Uno brake pads and was running my street pads DS-2500's so I was all over the place (sometimes not even on the track) in turn 1.

Some videos you might find useful, all featuring pro Aaron Povoledo:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yCdR8xD6B8w"]VAC Motorsports - 10.30.11 NASA NJMP - E36 GTS3 | Aaron Povoledo - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgIM6r7NpqE"]Povoledo Track Days (Track Walk Sample) NJMP 1 - YouTube[/ame]
[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANGCVV9ZxTs"]Povoledo Track Days (Track Walk Sample) NJMP 2 - YouTube[/ame]


http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4DB15A58281BFEE5.

The third video and one of the videos in the last link feature the entry to the Octopus, which is a straight-line braking zone followed by the tight right-hander, where you want to get back to and even up on the curb before turning in tightly to the left-hander. Notice in the NASA club race video (if it's too long, watch the last two laps) that he is up on the curb in the left-hander; this is because he's planted his right-side tires to take advantage the steep camber, thereby realizing way more grip than is available further out in the turn.

If I had to summarize this track, I'd say: When in doubt, use more curb. Except T1.

BTW, by putting up the instructional videos in the last link, Mike @AZP Installs has done an incredible service for drivers going to Thunderbolt. That is not an easy track to learn, and having a pro explain car placement in the critical sections will not only make for faster drivers, it will make for safer drivers.

[EAGLE5]

Originally Posted by ja1217

I'm not sure how comfortable I'd be jumping to probably over double the power when taking @Element Tuning car for a drive. Especially since my car at 181whp is the most powerful car I've driven that wasn't a truck.

What? You got something against horses? If I drove as well as you do at the track, I'd be wanting more power.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by jsimon7777

Club circuit? Some other circuit? I don't know the park, but I see two optional turns for a total of four possible tracks.

Huh? Lime Rock Park is on the short list of most famous race tracks in America.

Skip the optional parts, the dark line here is the track as its driven by all but a few pro races:

[glamcem]

Little update @jsimon7777 I have installed the Kraftwerks kit (Moto-East tuned), Fortune Auto 500 coilovers with 9k/9k swift springs,
Track Name/Track Time/Driver Name/Date/Mods/Link
The Ridge Motorsports Park(RMP)/1:58 /glamcem/5-16-2014/Kraftwerks kit (Moto-East tuned), Fortune Auto 500 coilovers with 9k/9k swift springs, -3.0 Front / -2.8 rear camber, 235-40-17 Nitto NT-01 R Compounds (17x9 +35 RPF1 wheels), Carbotech XP12/XP12 pads, Motul RBF 600, Ti shims, heat reflective material for brakes, Grimspeed MBC brace, full weight/ NO ABS/EBD or Traction control (broke my ABS sensor)


[ame="http://youtu.be/Fa1UWvB-Lrg"]http://youtu.be/Fa1UWvB-Lrg[/ame]

[ja1217]

Originally Posted by jsimon7777

What? You got something against horses? If I drove as well as you do at the track, I'd be wanting more power.

I'm still not getting everything possible out of my car yet, so more power would just be a crutch

I'm probably going to leave my car alone the rest of this year and next year as well to stay in TTD and save some money. Then I might see what I can do for power. I want to keep it NA so dream goal is somewhere around 250whp after cams, exhaust, tune, etc. I'd also be trying to drop weight to somewhere around 2200-2300 lbs. Hoping that by the time I'm ready to upgrade my car other people will have blazed the NA trail for me.

Eventually I'd like to go for a higher power car, but I don't think it will be my FR-S. I think it will be cheaper and more reliable in the long run to just get a used C6 Z06 instead of going turbo. But that is likely quite a few years down the road.

[ja1217]

Originally Posted by dradernh

Some videos you might find useful, all featuring pro Aaron Povoledo:

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4DB15A58281BFEE5.

The third video and one of the videos in the last link feature the entry to the Octopus, which is a straight-line braking zone followed by the tight right-hander, where you want to get back to and even up on the curb before turning in tightly to the left-hander. Notice in the NASA club race video (if it's too long, watch the last two laps) that he is up on the curb in the left-hander; this is because he's planted his right-side tires to take advantage the steep camber, thereby realizing way more grip than is available further out in the turn.

If I had to summarize this track, I'd say: When in doubt, use more curb. Except T1.

BTW, by putting up the instructional videos in the last link, Mike @AZP Installs has done an incredible service for drivers going to Thunderbolt. That is not an easy track to learn, and having a pro explain car placement in the critical sections will not only make for faster drivers, it will make for safer drivers.

Thanks for the videos, I'll definitely take a look at them, although I don't think I'll be heading back to NJMP this year.

Comparing my video with the VAC motorsports, its seems that the time difference comes down to power for most of it. He's got nearly +15mph on me down the straight. That said, i definitely need to be smoother coming out of the octopus. Its hard to do since the passenger side rear tire gets so little heat during the lap since there are only 2 left turns in this configuration and they are just about the 2 slowest turns on the track. My second day there I messed around with increasing tire pressure only in that tire and it seemed to help, but I was still having trouble.

[EAGLE5]

Thanks. I've heard of Lime Rock but never been.

Here's an interesting article:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features...t-road-courses

I think the most beloved American track will soon be the 5 miles of Thunderhill.

Originally Posted by dradernh

Huh? Lime Rock Park is on the short list of most famous race tracks in America.

Skip the optional parts, the dark line here is the track as its driven by all but a few pro races:

[EAGLE5]

Usability on the road (rear seats) and track was the major factor for me getting the FR-S. Stripping the car to add lightness would ruin the usability. I'd rather strip a Miata. Not much to stripping one anyway.

Crutches are fun, I suppose.

Originally Posted by ja1217

I'm still not getting everything possible out of my car yet, so more power would just be a crutch

I'm probably going to leave my car alone the rest of this year and next year as well to stay in TTD and save some money. Then I might see what I can do for power. I want to keep it NA so dream goal is somewhere around 250whp after cams, exhaust, tune, etc. I'd also be trying to drop weight to somewhere around 2200-2300 lbs. Hoping that by the time I'm ready to upgrade my car other people will have blazed the NA trail for me.

Eventually I'd like to go for a higher power car, but I don't think it will be my FR-S. I think it will be cheaper and more reliable in the long run to just get a used C6 Z06 instead of going turbo. But that is likely quite a few years down the road.

[Element Tuning]

I really like the chicane at NJ Thunderbolt as it has really good flow and requires throttle modulation. I'm surprised it's not used more often.

[subielife]

they don't want cars destroying the barriers that are setup for motorcycles.

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Element Tuning

I really like the chicane at NJ Thunderbolt...

It's certainly more challenging/fun than the usual configuration.

[Element Tuning]

Originally Posted by dradernh

It's certainly more challenging/fun than the usual configuration.

Yeah I agree. People with cars that don't handle well like straights

[dradernh]

Originally Posted by Element Tuning

Yeah I agree. People with cars that don't handle well like straights

No kidding. What's cool about the chicane is all the ways to get it wrong!

[iLuveKetchup]

Is an FI BRZ less prone to DI failures?